HCHS senior named National Merit Semifinalist

Luke Sauls has been getting a lot of attention at Harrison Central High, since word started spreading around campus that he had been named a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist.

"I thought that’s pretty cool! I was hoping to do well on it, but I wasn’t entirely sure, and when I got it, it was a bit of a relief honestly. It was pretty exciting!" said Luke Sauls.

Luke and Tuong Tran of D'Iberville High are two students in the Harrison County School District who were named Semifinalists in the prestigious program. The pool of Semifinalists represents less than one-percent of U.S. high school seniors, and they were judged based on their academic performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. These high-achieving students will now have an opportunity to compete for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million dollars, that will be offered next spring.

"I think there’s a two-fold significance. The first and most down to earth one would probably be scholarship money. This is going to help me through college, help me through school, get a good education. That’s going to be beneficial to my career, and throughout my entire life, so it’s pretty monumental. And the other reason is a little bit more psychological. It’s an achievement, signifier of something well done, something I’ve done right, and it’s encouraging," said Luke.

Before coming to Harrison Central High, Luke attended West Wortham Elementary & Middle School. He credits his teachers for encouraging him to achieve his academic goals.

"They’ve all lent a lot of guidance, a lot of experience. I mean, they’ve seen a lot of kids through their school years so they know what they’re doing. They know which tests you need to take, where you need to apply, what tips you should follow. They’ve been an invaluable resource," said Luke.

When asked what he would like to say to all the teachers who helped him along the way, Luke replied: "I don’t think there’s much I can say to really make up for it besides ‘thank you’"!

Luke is a member of the National English Honor Society, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and Key Club. He is always striving to achieve. For instance, he made a 35 on his ACT.

Congratulations to Luke Sauls and Tuong Tran! The HCSD is very proud of their achievements and wish both students the best of luck!